File Upload Fails or Shows Error in Eve

Last updated: June 9, 2026

Overview

This article resolves the issue when a file fails to upload to Eve and displays a red exclamation mark or error indicator. This typically occurs during matter creation or when adding documents to an existing matter, and prevents the file from being available for use in your case.

Before You Start — Diagnosis

Confirm the following before attempting any fixes:

  • Locate the file with the red exclamation mark or error indicator in the upload confirmation screen

  • Note the file name and file type (extension like .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, etc.)

  • Check the file size if available (right-click the file on your computer and select Properties or Get Info)

  • Verify whether you can open the file normally on your computer outside of Eve

Fixes

Possible Cause: Password-Protected File

Cause: The file has password protection or encryption enabled, which prevents Eve from processing and extracting text from the document.

Steps:

  1. Open the file on your computer using the appropriate application (Adobe Acrobat for PDFs, Microsoft Word for .docx files, etc.)

  2. Remove the password protection:

- For PDFs in Adobe Acrobat: Go to File > Properties > Security, change Security Method to "No Security"

- For Word documents: Go to File > Info > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password, delete the password and save

  1. Save the unprotected version of the file

  2. Return to Eve and attempt to upload the file again using the cloud upload button

Expected Outcome: The file uploads successfully without showing a red exclamation mark, and appears in your document list with the ability to preview and select it for use.

Possible Cause: Unsupported File Format

Cause: The file type is not supported by Eve. Common unsupported formats include Excel/CSV files (.xlsx, .xls, .csv) and native Google Docs.

Steps:

  1. Identify the file format by checking the file extension

  2. Convert the file to a supported format:

- For Excel/CSV files: Open in Excel or Google Sheets, then go to File > Save As (or Download) > PDF

- For native Google Docs: Open the document in Google Docs, go to File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx)

Expected Outcome: The converted file uploads successfully and appears in your document list as an active, selectable document.

Possible Cause: Video File Has No Transcribable Audio

Cause: Eve supports video files (MP4, MOV) by transcribing their audio track. If a video has no audio track, or its audio contains no transcribable speech, Eve cannot process it and marks the file as unsupported.

Steps:

  1. Confirm the video is in a supported format (MP4 or MOV) and under 2.5GB Play the video back and verify it contains audible spoken audio

  2. If the video has no usable audio, upload a separate transcript as a text, VTT, or Word file instead

Expected Outcome: A video with a clear, transcribable audio track uploads successfully, and its transcript becomes available for chat and drafting.

Possible Cause: File Exceeds Size Limits

Cause: The file exceeds Eve's size limitations for individual files, batch uploads, or total matter documents. Limits include: PDFs over 10,000 pages, Word documents over 2,000 pages, individual files over 2.5GB, batch uploads exceeding 1,000 files or 5GB total, or matters with more than 20,000 files.

Steps:

  1. Check the file size and page count against Eve's limits

  2. For oversized PDFs (over 10,000 pages):

- Use Adobe Acrobat or a PDF tool to split the document into smaller files of under 10,000 pages each

- Name each file clearly (e.g., "Medical_Records_Part1.pdf", "Medical_Records_Part2.pdf")

  1. For oversized Word documents (over 2,000 pages):

- Split the document into smaller files or convert to PDF first, then split if needed

  1. For batch upload size issues:

- Upload files in smaller batches (fewer than 1,000 files at a time, total size under 5GB per batch)

  1. Upload the split or reduced files to Eve

Expected Outcome: Each file within size limits uploads successfully. For PDFs over 2,000 pages, Eve automatically splits them into 1,000-page chunks that appear as separate, numbered files in your document list.

Possible Cause: Dropbox or Zip File Not Fully Downloaded

Cause: When uploading from Dropbox, you may have dragged only folder links rather than actual files. Or a zip file was uploaded without being extracted first.

Steps:

  1. If uploading from Dropbox:

- Fully download the files or folders to your local computer first

- Wait for the download to complete (check your Downloads folder)

- Navigate to the downloaded folder on your computer and upload from there

  1. If uploading a zip file:

- Right-click the .zip file and select "Extract All" (Windows) or double-click to unzip (Mac)

- Wait for extraction to complete

- Upload the extracted folder, not the .zip file itself

  1. Return to Eve and upload the properly downloaded or extracted files using the cloud upload button

Expected Outcome: All files upload successfully with no error indicators, and you can preview the file contents in Eve's document viewer.